laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

a

: a room for doing the family wash

b

: a commercial laundering establishment

2

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

Examples of laundry in a Sentence

There's a pile of dirty laundry in the laundry basket.

The patients' sheets are sent regularly to the hospital laundry.

Recent Examples on the Web

There is also a water retention tank for rain collection under the bungalows, whose water is then recycled for laundry and the watering of plants. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Cinema employees help with laundry, cleaning, maintenance, and guests’ needs — meaning the staff behind the L’Amour fantasy have a whole property to look after on top of everything else. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026

Dual-arm robots handle parcels around a conveyor and fold clothing on a work surface, while a humanoid moves through a furnished environment and collects laundry. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Experts recommend incorporating these timeless techniques into routines for cleaning appliances, surfaces, and laundry. — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing laundry

• air one's dirty laundry
• dirty laundry
• do the/one's laundry
• laundry list
• load of laundry

Kids Definition

laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

2

: a place where laundering is done

Etymology

from an obsolete word launder (noun) "one who washes clothes," derived from early French lavandier (or lavandiere) "a man (or woman) who washes clothes," from Latin lavandus "needing to be washed," from lavare "to wash" — related to lavatory, lavish, lotion